MSNBC’s Jon Lemire: Democrats Privately Saying ‘Very Bad’ Debate for Biden Will Spark ‘Real Worries’ About Continuing Campaign

Morning Joe contributor Jonathan Lemire floated that Democrats may reconsider whether President Joe Biden can continue his campaign if he has a “very bad night” on Thursday during the presidential debate.

Biden and former President Donald Trump will battle it out on CNN Thursday evening, and although Lemire said the president’s team is “confident,” he added that some Democrats are privately fretting about the ramifications of a poor showing.

“I do think some Democrats have said privately that if Biden has a very bad night there will be real worries about whether he can continue for this campaign,” Lemire said Friday on MSNBC’s Way Too Early. “But his team feels confident. They think he will do well.”

Reflecting on the typical dynamics of presidential debates, Lemire noted that “usually in these debates the incumbent president is at a disadvantage” since “the incumbent president usually not challenged from the Oval Office and usually did not go through the primary process so, therefore, didn’t have to debate opponents in his own party.”

Lemire said while it’s true “Biden hasn’t done a debate in a long time … neither has Trump.”

He continued: “Because he sat out all the Republican debates this time around there’s a chance he’ll be equally as rusty and Biden is betting that when Americans see him again they will be reminded of the chaos of his four years but also recognize he’s even gotten worse.”

Watch above on MSNBC.